Thanksgiving is all about reflecting and recognizing all the great things you have.

Before you shut your laptop and start baking pies to bring to Aunt Selma’s house, spend a few minutes giving thanks for the little things that make the freelance lifestyle great.

Here are twelve to start you off:

• Quiet: Most days you can work unbothered by unnecessary meetings, ringing phones, or background chatter.
• Fresh air: You can get up when you want to walk the dog, get the mail, or just  feel the sun, rain, or snow.
• Diversity: With the freedom to re-slant your talents, you can stay current and adapt to the changing economic climate.
• Being there:  If you’re managing your schedule around your children’s school day, it’s all about being there every afternoon.

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When I first saw this video I was confused. Sure, the jingle was catchy and the editing was swell, but, was this guy for real? Did people actually buy his terrible drawings? He doesn’t do this for a living…does he? I decided to put on my investigative journalism hat and see if I couldn’t get some answers about this crazy cat guy. I went straight to the source. Continue Reading

View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at What we learned from 5 million books by Jean-Baptiste Michel and Erez Lieberman Aiden. Have you played with Google Labs’ NGram Viewer? It’s an addicting tool that lets you search for words and ideas in a database of 5 million books from across centuries. In this video they show us how it works.

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View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Steve Jobs on How to live before you die by Steve Jobs. In this video the CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself..

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Welcome to Part III of our series on civic mindedness. Previously we’ve heard from the head of the Northwest Freelancers Association in Washington State and a freelance public relations manager in Ohio. Today we talk with a top-notch professional wedding photographer with a big heart.

A former photographer and photo editor for USA Today and The Washington Post, Emilie Sommer moved to Portland, Maine in 2003 to open her own wedding photography business called emilie inc. Her business has grown to include two additional photographers, videographer, graphic design artist, and photo booth.

In the ultra competitive world of wedding photography, Emilie Sommer stands out from her peers, not only because of her talent and business acumen, but because of a side project—Pink Initiative. Sommer started this nonprofit to bring wedding industry professionals and private donors together to fund awareness, outreach, education, and research for breast cancer. Continue Reading

View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Build a tower, build a team by Tom Wujec. In this video he presents some surprisingly deep research into the “marshmallow problem” — a simple team-building exercise that involves dry spaghetti, one yard of tape and a marshmallow. Who can build the tallest tower with these ingredients? And why does a surprising group always beat the average?.

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Welcome to part two of our discussion on the importance of being civic minded. In researching people to interview on the topic, I virtually stumbled upon a website called Good Things Going Around. Owner Lisa Desatnik is a freelance public relations manager and runs her Ohio-based business with an emphasis on raising awareness and strengthening relationships for clients who have a heart for the community.

Desatnik’s cause-related PR campaigns have earned her numerous regional awards. She is currently working with the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, the Cincannati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired, and the Appalachian Festival, among others.

Why is it important to you to be connected to your community?

Being connected to my community and thinking about others is just a direction that my heart takes me. The type of gratification I receive from bringing smiles to others is just immeasurable. My parents have instilled in me an appreciation for all of the beauty that life brings us and I hope to share that with others because life is really special.

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Have you ever noticed that every group, activity and product on the face of the earth seems to have its own “day”?

There’s National Boss Day, National Teachers Day, National Bowling Day, National Puppy Day. Even National Pancake Day!

Yet freelancers, independent professionals and contingent workers, who in the U.S. alone compose at least one-third of the workforce (the ratio is even higher in other countries), don’t have their own day!

Well, that seemed totally unfair. So my partners and I decided to put an end to that by organizing the first-ever International Freelancers Day last year. And we’re doing it again this year, on September 23rd!

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View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Jason Fried: Why work doesn’t happen at work by Jason Fried. In this video he explores the radical theory of working: that the office isn’t a good place to do it. He lays out the main problems and offers three suggestions to make work more productive.

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Justin Knechtel lives in between the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, Washington, on Mercer Island. As the founder of the Northwest Freelancers Association (NWFA), an independent nonprofit organization, Knechtel works with freelancers throughout the entire Pacific and Inland Northwest.

Knechtel also created and runs The Small Potatoes, which is a design and consulting agency made up of freelance professionals living and working in the Pacific Northwest. The Small Potatoes works with small businesses, nonprofits, and startups to provide services on a pay-what-you-can-afford model.

When researching the topic of civic mindedness in freelancers, Knechtel seemed like the kind of freelancer who would have a lot to talk about on the topic. I wasn’t disappointed.

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View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Nigel Marsh: How to make work-life balance work by Nigel Marsh. In this video he lays out an ideal day balanced between family time, personal time and productivity — and offers some stirring encouragement to make it happen.

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View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration by Clay Shirky. In this prescient 2005 talk, Clay shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have big roles and fluid cooperation replaces rigid planning.

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